Osborne criticised by church groups

From The Church Times-

TENSIONS between the Government and Churches have heightened this week as changes to the welfare system begin to take effect.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, gave a speech on Tuesday in which he defended changes that come into force this month. These include introducing a cap on housing benefit; the so-called "bedroom tax" on spare rooms; and limiting benefit increases to one per cent ( News, 15 March).

Mr Osborne said that the changes had "one simple principle at their heart - making sure people are better off in work than on benefits. . . Our reforms are returning welfare to its most fundamental principle - always helping the most vulnerable, but giving people ladders out of poverty. . . In reality, there is nothing 'kind' about parking people who could work on benefits."

Church groups were quick to criticise the Chancellor's speech. The chief executive of the Church Urban Fund, Tim Bissett, said: "The Chancellor wants to make work pay. For those trapped by poverty, sustainable employment is hard to find. People on benefits are struggling to find social support, and have restricted access to housing, which in turn means that the most disadvantaged are excluded from our communities. If the poorest find themselves on the margins of society, we risk breaking the social contract that binds us together."

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2013/5-april/news/uk/osborne-criticised-by-church-groups